Page 51 of Mating Mia
"Of course," I say, carefully transferring the sleeping baby to his arms.
Liam accepts the tiny bundle with practiced ease, as if he's held a hundred newborns before. He cradles Ash against his chest, one finger gently tracing the curve of the baby's cheek, his expression a mixture of wonder and heartbreak.
“I never thought I’d see this day,” he admits, his voice rough with emotion. “I thought our line would end with me. That I’d never know what it was to hold my grandchild.”
Across the room, I notice Jace has woken up, sitting silently in his makeshift bed, watching the scene unfold with unusual solemnity. Kane stands by the window, his posture rigid, but his eyes suspiciously bright. Even Finn, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, seems affected, a muscle in his jaw working as he tries not to cry.
"He's perfect," Liam whispers, looking up at me with pride shining through his tears. “So small, and yet so strong already.”
"Dad," I say, my heart pounding suddenly with excitement. "Guess what?"
He looks up from Ash's sleeping face, eyebrows raised in question. "What is it?"
I take a deep breath, savoring the moment that's about to unfold.
"We found her," I say simply. "We found Sarah."
For a moment, he doesn't react at all. He sits perfectly still, as if my words have turned him to stone. Then his eyes widen, his face draining of color so rapidly I'm afraid he might faint.
"What?" he whispers, the word barely audible. "What did you say?"
"We found Mom," I repeat, my smile growing wider at his stunned expression. "She's alive, Dad. She's been hiding all these years behind a waterfall just next to this hospital. The water masks her scent. She's been there the whole time."
Liam sinks back against the bed, his chest rising and falling rapidly. He looks down at Ash, then back up at me, his eyes wild with shock.
"She's alive?" he says, the words coming out strangled. "My Sarah is alive?"
I nod, reaching for his hand. "She's beautiful, Dad. She looks just like me—or I guess I look just like her. Same eyes, same face. She said to tell you where she was. She’s been waiting for you.”
A sound escapes him then, half laugh, half sob, as he carefully passes Ash back to me with trembling hands. He presses both palms against his face, his shoulders shaking with silent sobs. When he finally looks up, his expression is transformed by a joy so pure it's almost painful to witness.
"Where is she?" he demands, suddenly energized. "I need to go to her now. Right now."
"She's behind the waterfall," I explain. "That's where she's been living. She said the water masks her scent completely, keeps her hidden. She's been there for years, Dad. Waiting."
Liam stands abruptly, then just as quickly sits back down, as if his legs won't support the weight of his emotions.
"All this time," he murmurs, more to himself than to us. "All this time, she was alive. I felt it, in my bones, in the mate bond, but it was so faint I thought I was just clinging to false hope."
"The bond never broke," Kane says quietly from his position by the window. "That's how you knew."
Liam nods, his eyes distant with memory. "When Ezra and Theo died, it felt like parts of my soul were ripped away. Butwith Sarah... there was always something there. Just a whisper, a thread. I thought it was just because we never found her body, because I couldn't accept that she was gone."
"She told me to tell you she never stopped loving you," I say, remembering her urgent words by the waterfall. “Not for one day.”
A fresh wave of emotion crosses my father's face, his eyes closing briefly as he absorbs this. When he opens them again, they're shining with renewed purpose.
“I need to go to her,” he says, rising again. “I’ve waited years. I can’t wait another minute.”
But then he pauses, looking at me as if wondering if this is an inappropriate time.
“Dad, go,” I say, smiling. “I’ll understand. We’ll meet up with you and Mom in a few days. Be with her.”
“Do you ever regret it?” Jace asks my father with a mischievous glint in his eye. “Stealing Sarah from Orion?”
“Fuck no,” he says with vigor, making all three alphas chuckle. “Best thing I ever did was rescue her from that monster. She was never his to begin with—just another omega he wanted to add to his collection.”
“And now you’ve found each other again,” I say, happiness bubbling up inside me like a spring. “After all this time. It’s like a fairytale.”
